NRL: Bulldogs close to a deal with England powerhouse Luke Thompson

Canterbury’s quest to strengthen their ranks with England powerhouse Luke Thompson could be close to fruition

Gun England prop Luke Thompson is set to fly to Australia to join the Bulldogs

England powerhouse Luke Thompson could be ready to make his bow for Canterbury within weeks. The Bulldogs have been working feverishly behind the scenes to bring Thompson to Australia ahead of schedule – he has already agreed to join them next season – and it is understood talks with St Helens and the Australian government are edging towards a positive conclusion.

Thompson, regarded as the best prop in Super League and one of the best forwards in the world, could be on a plane as early as next week, although his exact destination will be dictated by quarantine restrictions around the country.

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Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill has spent recent weeks studying the respective state regulations in anticipation that the club could convince St Helens to release Thompson.

He would likely be forced to spend two weeks in quarantine, potentially in Queensland or Victoria, and then a further week preparing for his NRL debut.

A best case outcome could result in Thompson making his debut in round eight against one of the clubs who were competing for his services – South Sydney.

The most likely scenario would see him available for the following week when the Bulldogs face the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

It is understood the Bulldogs have room under their salary cap to accommodate Thompson this season and are willing to pay a transfer fee to gain his release from St Helens.

The Bulldogs are confident they have entered the home straight in negotiations and only a late and dramatic turn of events will stop him switching with immediate effect.

His arrival would be a massive boost for coach Dean Pay and could be the beginning of an English assault by the NRL strugglers, who are also in the market for Canberra back rower John Bateman.

Bateman has another year on his deal at the Raiders but has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs and the Bulldogs are among the favourites to secure his services.

His signature, along with that of Thompson, has the potential to transform the club’s fortunes. News of a potential breakthrough in talks over Thompson came after the club eased some of the pressure on Pay by winning their first game of the season against St George Illawarra on Monday.

Captain Josh Jackson insisted the talk over Pay’s future hadn’t been discussed among the players leading into the game against the Dragons.

“Most of the talk was obviously around the fact that we had three losses and put in poor performances in round two and three,” Jackson said.

“We weren’t where we wanted to be and we were just looking for a win and a good performance, I thought we did that.

“Not letting in any tries was the most pleasing part of the whole game for us. I thought we scored some good tries and created some good opportunities as well.”

Pay made a series of alterations to the line-up in the lead-up to the game against the Dragons but the most significant change came with the return of Kieran Foran.

Foran’s latest comeback from injury coincided with the Bulldogs’ best performance of the season. The challenge gets even greater this week as Canterbury prepare to face the Sydney Roosters on Sunday afternoon at Bankwest Stadium.

Jackson knows the Bulldogs will need to be at their best to have any hope of making it successive wins.

“They are obviously in some pretty good form and they are the defending premiers,” he said.

“It is a big challenge for us. We just have to focus on ourselves and keep playing consistent footy. If we play similar to how we did on the weekend …. it is going to give us every chance to win that game.”